From the family to the government, corruption is manifest

In the recent past, the stories making headlines in the media have been one corruption case after another. The office of the Director of Public Prosecution and that of CID have been busy with investigations and prosecutions of the said culprits.

Corruption is a vice that must be fought at all fronts. We have lost our morals to the extent that our conscience is no longer bothered when we give or receive bribes. We have lost our values and as much as we blame the government and politicians for this, we as a people are also to blame. There will be no takers if there were no givers, it is said. We have become so greedy and placed a lot of value on money to the extent that we don’t care how we acquire it—the end justifies the means.

Even in the dating scenes, men tend to floss their money around to impress their women. Then when a man eventually manages to win the woman, he resorts to his mean ways. Women on the other hand might be attracted by what is in the man’s pocket rather than what is in his heart. As a result, we have transactional relationships where I’m in it for what’s in it for me. Among the married, one spouse might not be open about his or her financial dealings. There are those who swindle the family finances taking a mpango wa kando for a holiday in Mauritius or build a house for their mother without consulting their partner. That is corruption in the home front.

For the two to remain one, married couples need to be transparent and accountable with each other where their finances are concerned. It is this lack of transparency and accountability that so often leads to trust issues in marriage. What about parents who collude with a school principal to buy exam papers? What are we teaching our children? They say values are better caught than taught. So, before you point a finger at the government and politicians accusing them of being corrupt, take a good look at yourself.